


Weightless and Unbound (please don’t swim, there’s something in the water)

by Anonymous



Category: Realms Apart (Web Series)
Genre: (it’s not that scandalous), (maybe a lil’ bit though), ...Enjoy?, Gen, I use more commas than Thomas Jefferson, M/M, Not Canon Compliant (mostly), OH GOD OH FUCK, SO MANY TROPES Y’ALL IM SO SORRY, again I’m very sorry, am I just screaming into the void? Will anyone actually read this?, first work in the fandom, hopefully not, mistakes are being made folks, oh boy, rated T for Maglo’s swearing and scandalous kissing, spoilers for Chapter 7 of Realms Apart, why did i do this, will I regret this later? Yes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-15 08:08:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28560318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: What if things in the sewers had gone a little differently?
Relationships: Doddle & Hawke, Maglo/Hawke
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2
Collections: Anonymous





	Weightless and Unbound (please don’t swim, there’s something in the water)

**Author's Note:**

> This is an un-betad, word-vomited, absolute mess. 1900 words of godawful drivel with around a million spelling errors but this idea wouldn’t leave me alone so (you know) I had to do it (to em). Good luck reading it and I’m sorry.
> 
> -Title is from The Devil Thinks I’m Sinking by Good Tiger-

The water was dark and murky. Even with his night vision, Hawke was struggling to see. 

Another thing he was struggling to do; breathe. 

He could feel his lungs beginning to ache, the need for air growing stronger by the second.

He could vaguely see Siraye in front of him, somehow swimming successfully even while holding a giant (and very heavy) chest. 

Doodle had vanished, and he could only hope the small goblin had made it out.

Hawke was trying desperately to swim, but with the current of the water trying to pull him back, it felt as though every inch forward he managed to gain he was pulled backwards by two.

His armour weighed him down, the heavy clothes that were supposed to protect him filling up with water, making his already difficult task even harder.

Bubbles escaped his lips as his lungs started to burn. He could tell Siraye was struggling almost as much as he was- it was foolish, really, that she was still holding onto that chest- and Maglo… shit, he didn’t know where Maglo was. He couldn’t see him in the immediate vicinity. Worry gnawed at his stomach like a rabid beast, and it was all Hawke could do to not start swimming in the opposite direction to try and find the other man.

Maybe the worry was why, when Doddle’s scarf drifted down into the water, instead of doing the logical thing and grabbing it, he reached out and cast light. It was a stupid, stupid descision, and he could see Siraye’s aghast face for a split second before she hauled herself up the scarf and out of site with the chest. _Fuck._

The scarf was gone, and he still couldn’t see Maglo. 

Hawke once again tried to fight his way upwards towards the surface but it felt as if he only sank. 

Panic truly started to set in, seizing his chest as he realized it was all too possible he was going to die here.

 _“Not yet!”_ He thought, _“I still have work to do!”_

A rope dropped down in front of him, the weighted end preventing it from being caught up in the pull of the water. He tried to grasp onto it, but it was just out of reach. 

Out of nowhere, he felt a kick on his back, propelling him forward so he could grab ahold of the rope. He looked behind himself only to see Maglo being pulled back by the current, his limbs already starting to go limp, all of his energy gone.

Time slowed for a moment, and Hawke had two choices in front of him;

Let Maglo die and save himself, or try to help the other man.

It wasn’t a choice, really. Hawke wasn’t going to let another person die on his watch.

He reached back, trying to grab onto Maglo and keep one hand in the rope, before realizing it was useless.

His vision was starting to get blurrier, and Maglo was drifting farther away.

So Hawke let go of the rope.

He managed to get close enough to Maglo to grab his arm, and he started to pull him back towards the rope. Maglo’s eyes were wide but unfocused, and a small stream of bubbles escaped his lips. Fuck, he was doing even worse than Hawke.

Hawke knew he didn’t have the power to pull them both up. And if he had to choose between himself and Maglo, well… once again, it wasn’t really a choice, was it?

So Hawke grabbed Maglo’s face and pressed their lips together. Maglo opened his mouth in surprise; exactly what Hawke needed to breathe into the other man’s mouth. Maglo must’ve realized what he was doing because he shut his mouth as soon as Hawke pulled away. More bubbles drifted from Hawke’s lips, the last of his air leaving his lungs, and he could only hope that it was enough to let Maglo escape. 

He locked his gaze with the other man before letting go of him and closing his eyes.

His strength was gone, and his body was screaming for air, and he was too tired to resist the commands of breathe, breathe, _breathe,_ so he took a breath felt the water fill his lungs, choking him, _drowning him._

 _“Well. It's not the worst way to go,”_ he thought vaguely, as he blacked out. _“At least the others will make it.”_

-

The next few days at the Golden Owl gave Hawke time to process what had happened. For one, he was _alive._ All he remembers was blacking out and then…

And then waking up on the floor of the sewer, coughing water up out of his lungs and looking up at Maglo, who was seated on top of him.

Maglo, who had blue skin and gills. 

_“... I’ve missed a lot, huh?”_ He had croaked, before passing out again. Ignoring the series of... visions? Nightmares? Whatever they where, the next thing he knew was that he had woken up in his room at the Golden Owl with a worried Doddle leaning over him. She was happy to inform him of what happened.

 _“ You two where down there a long time. I was honestly about to jump in after you myself but then Maglo emerged but he was all blue and fishy- I think he took a potion ‘cause there was an empty bottle in his hand- and he hauled you up out of the water and… err…”_ the small goblin- no, she wasn’t actually a goblin, he reminded himself, his vision had told him as much- turned a little pink. 

_“ And?”_

_“ Well, he… administered CPR? I think that’s what it’s called?”_ Doddle squeaked out as Hawke felt himself flush. _Right._ Well. That made it two times he and Maglo had... kissed (why on earth did so many life saving techniques involve pressing your mouth to another person’s?). But it was all for survival purposes, and they were both alive!... So why did Hawke feel so bothered by this?

It wasn’t like Maglo wasn’t handsome. Hawke couldn’t deny the guy was good looking, if a bit rugged. But he was kind of snarky and rude and seemed to harbor a deep disdain for Hawke. So why had he saved him? Hawke was having a hard time wrapping his head around this whole situation. Maybe he had gotten a concussion, that might explain it.

Doddle clearly saw a look of confusion or puzzlement on his face, so she pressed on. 

_“ Erm, a-anyways, after you passed out again we just hightailed the heck out of there. Maglo and Siraye managed to carry you- Siraye is like, really really strong- and I navigated and now… now we’re here. We’re not allowed to go downstairs during hours because they don’t want someone to recognize us.”_

_“ And Fiddlescratch?”_

_“ We’ve been told he’s on his way and will be here as fast as he can.”_

Hawke had huffed out a sigh, and Doddle had patted his hand apologetically. He was grateful it was her to fill him in (although, really, who else would it have been? The idea of a worried Siraye at his bedside almost made him laugh out loud). He had more things to talk to her about anyways.

But that was on the second day.

Now, it was the fourth day of their recovery (and Hawke could finally stand again), and although Hawke had seen both Siraye and Doddle, he had seen no such sign of Maglo.

It really shouldn’t have bothered him this much. Again, Maglo was rude and snarky and clearly hated him! 

But he was also funny, and smart, and he had saved Hawkes life. 

_“And his lips were soft,”_ Hawke’s brain supplied him with, before he pushed the thought away.

He tried not to think about Maglo anymore, to just relax and read a book or something, but he felt too restless. 

So after a few hours Hawke sighed in resignation and marched to Maglo’s room.

It was fairly late in the evening, but the bar downstairs was still busy, so Hawke tried to be quiet as he knocked on Maglo’s door. 

No response.

He tried again, a little louder.

Still no response. 

He tried again, feeling impatient, his knocks perhaps a little bit too loud.

A moment passed, and just as Hawke was deciding whether to give up or try and break down the door, he heard a muffled, “ Right, who the fuck is it?” From behind the door.

“ Er,” Hawke cleared his throat. “ It’s… me?”

Silence.

“ No.” came the muffled voice.

“ What…?”

“ I said, no. Go away.”

“ Maglo, I just wanna talk.”

“ And I do not.”

“ Please?”

“ No! Go the fuck away! I’m busy!”

“ Maglo. I need to speak to you.”

More silence. Then the sound of several bolts unlatching and a muttered curse. The door before him swung open.

“ Fuckin’ fine you bastard, just making it fucking quick.”

Hawke stepped into Maglo’s room and attempted to take in the sight before him.

It was an absolute mess. Papers were strewn everywhere, taking up every available inch of space. Plates were stacked haphazardly on the floor, and even the bed was covered with papers and components. Maglo himself looked exhausted; there were deep circles under his eyes and his hair was sticking out in every which way. He still managed to hold himself with an air of defiance, however, as he looked at Hawke.

“ Right. What the fuck do you want,” he said, his accent heavy.

“ Like I said, I just want to talk-“

“ Well then spit it the fuck out, god boy!” Maglo snapped, arms crossed over his chest. He was shorter than Hawke by a good foot, but still managed to glower at Hawke effectively. 

“ I just wanted to ask why.”

Maglo looked taken aback at Hawke’s words.

“ Why what?”

“ Why did you save me?”

Hawke could’ve sworn he saw Maglo’s ears turn red.

“ I- I owed you,” he said, gruffly. “ You saved me so I saved you. Now we’re fuckin’ even.”

Hawke was quiet, unsatisfied with the answer and annoyed at himself for being unsatisfied with it.

“ Why?” It was Maglo’s turn to ask the question. At his confused glance, Maglo rolled his eyes and elaborated. 

“ Why does it fuckin’ matter.”

“ I… I don’t know,” Hawke answered truthfully. Maglo eyed him. 

“ You fuckin’ liked it didn’t you.” It wasn’t phrased as a question. Hawke was about to ask what he meant before the realization hit him, causing him to choke. 

“ I- w- no! I mean, it wasn’t _bad_ , but- I-“ he spluttered, his face going red.

Maglo snorted, and walked over to Hawke until he was standing far, _far_ too close. He grabbed a handful of Hawke’s shirt and yanked him down so they were eye to eye, a slight smirk on his face.

“ You’re a horrible liar,” he said, eyes locked onto Hawke’s.

Then he kissed him. His lips were still soft, and suddenly Hawke’s world narrowed down to the feeling of Maglo kissing him, his thoughts a dull white noise in the background. Hawke almost felt ashamed of how quickly he leaned into it, pressing back into Maglo. He stumbled back and felt himself be pressed against the wall, Maglo’s lips still locked onto his. It wasn’t a kiss to survive this time, but there was still a ferver, a desperation as if it were. And then Maglo opened his mouth, and Hawke felt his tongue swipe across his lips, and he couldn’t help the small gasp that escaped from him as he opened his own. 

And now it was less like a kiss and more like a fight for control, a battle to see who would come out on top. Maglo was pushing Hawke against the wall and one of Hawke’s hands was in Maglo’s hair, the other at his waist. Their teeth clinked together painfully, and Hawke could feel Maglo’s hands on his hips. Maglo bit at Hawke’s bottom lip, causing a moan to slip from his lips before he could stop it.

As if electrocuted, Maglo startled at the sound, letting go of Hawke and backing away. He was out of breath and his face was flushed, his hair even more mussed than before. Hawke could feel himself breathing heavily as they stared at each other for what felt like an eternity.

Maglo was the first to speak, turning away as he did so. 

“ Right, will you leave me the fuck alone now? I have work to do.”

Hawke nodded mutely before slipping out the door and darting back into his own room. 

He sat down on his bed, a little stunned, and touched his lips. They felt a little swollen, and Hawke could still feel a tingling as if Maglo’s lips were still pressed against his.

_“Fuck.”_

This was gonna be more difficult than he thought. 

**Author's Note:**

> I HAD TO GET THIS OFF MY CHEST DONT @ ME.


End file.
